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Army Museum updates shown at Annual Meeting

12/1/2009

Thousands of attendees at the 2009 Association of the United States Army Annual Meeting and Exposition, Oct. 5 to 7, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center toured the National Museum of the United States Army’s exhibit and received updates on the museum’s progress.

They also had the opportunity to see one of the museum’s many future attractions – an M1917 Light Tank that was part of the exhibit.

Visitors included the Army chief of staff, Gen. George W. Casey Jr., who was escorted by Maj. Gen. John P. Herrling, USA, Ret., museum campaign executive director, and Sgt. Maj. of the Army Kenneth Preston, who visited the exhibit with his wife, Karen, and Gen. Gordon R. Sullivan, USA, Ret., president of the Association of the United States Army.

"It’s just great for an armor guy like me to see this World War I tank up close and think about the evolution of armor in the [U.S] Army – it’s just terrific. I’m glad the Army will have this tank in the museum as a major artifact," Preston said.

Casey viewed the latest renderings of the museum’s façade, main entrance, and lobby area which will feature the Wall of Honor listing the major contributors to the museum project.

An architectural rendering shows the main entrance to the National Museum of the United States Army.

"It’s just great for an armor guy like me to see this World War I tank up close and think about the evolution of armor in the [U.S] Army – it’s just terrific. I’m glad the Army will have this tank in the museum as a major artifact," Preston said.

Casey viewed the latest renderings of the museum’s façade, main entrance, and lobby area which will feature the Wall of Honor listing the major contributors to the museum project.

He also examined the tank that staff members said was "a painstakingly restored vintage artifact that will eventually help tell the story of the Army’s successful transition from trench to open warfare during the final months of World War I."

"Our goal was to generate a ‘wow response’ – to create a compelling exhibit in a 600-square foot space that would replicate an exciting museum-like experience," Jamie Hubans, the Army Historical Foundation’s director of marketing and publications and the exhibit’s lead designer, said.

Adding, "The tank proved to be the ideal artifact. It not only drew the expected ‘ohhs and ahhs’ from our visitors, it also gave us the opportunity to tell them about all the other exciting features that will make the museum unlike any other."

The exhibit also featured an interactive computer screen that provided information on the museum’s location, the design status of three of the major galleries – "Soldiers’ Stories," "Fighting for the Nation," and "The Army and Society" – and the "Registry of the American Soldier."

"This museum is exactly what we need to make sure all soldiers are honored and our Army history and contributions are understood and appreciated by the general public," Sgt. David A. Scott, an Army National Guardsman from Columbus, Ohio, said.

"The doors can’t open soon enough to suit me," he added.

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